Sri Lanka holds a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the South Asian island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to push his anti-poverty policies as it recovers from a financial meltdown.

With Sri Lanka's economic recovery hanging in balance, President Dissanayake hopes voters give him a strong mandate for his policies to reduce taxes and boost welfare.Voting began in Sri Lanka's snap parliamentary election on Thursday,

Sri Lanka's general election sees a shift in political landscape as voters choose representatives amid economic crisis aftermath.